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Remote collaboration due to Covid-19 has resulted
in enterprises using virtual work technology and most importantly has enabled companies to continue operating.
On the negative side, employees can feel isolated without regular
interaction with co-workers, and work projects could suffer due to a lack of group dynamics.
Recently, Yahoo!'s CEO made news by abolishing the company's telecommuting policy
due to a desire for more personal interactions. When used properly, telecommuting doesn't need to lead to such
a drastic measure.
In fact, with virtual
workplaces, you can overcome the lack of interaction between colleagues
and facilitate collaboration.
The Benefits of Conference Calls for Remote Teams
Remote virtual office conference calls can be conducted using a conference
calling service. Simply schedule the call, provide participants
with the call details, and bring the entire team together no matter where they may be physically located.
For example, if you regularly hold a weekly staff meeting in your conference room but have a few employees who
work from home or at branch offices, they likely miss out on important information such as industry news, training,
policy changes, pricing updates, sales strategies, and other important issues.
By hosting a remote virtual office conference call, these employees can receive the information that they need
in order to work more effectively as well as contribute their ideas and concerns. Regular conference calls not
only keeps them in the loop but may help alleviate feelings of isolation.
The more remote virtual workers your office has, the more important conference call collaboration becomes. In situations
where everyone is working remotely, creativity and teamwork can suffer as was cited in Yahoo!'s decision to end
telecommuting.
While conferencing is often used for formal meetings, it can also be used for informal project planning and brainstorming
sessions. With a low cost conference call solution in place, your team can schedule virtual office collaboration
meetings as well as hold impromptu group discussions.
Conferencing and Teamwork
Conferencing for virtual workers helps remote workers see each other as team
members as well as helps them understand their individual roles.
Conference meetings overcome challenges with email which can come across as insensitive, overbearing, or abrupt
when not written with care. With a conference call, participants can hear the speaker's tone of voice and inflection.
These verbal cues can make a huge difference in how a message is perceived by the listener. Use conference calls
to break the ice and build a sense of camaraderie and team spirit.
Formal vs. Informal Conference Call Collaboration
Should you hold formal conference calls with your remote virtual office or informal
ones? Both are smart! Formal conference calls tend to be scheduled in advance and take place according to a predetermined
agenda, much like a traditional meeting.
In fact, you can combine a live staff meeting with conferencing by placing the conference call on speaker phone
in your conference room. As mentioned previously, this type of group call is important for keeping remote workers
informed about the latest changes affecting the company.
Depending on your conference calling service provider, your calls can even be recorded in case a scheduling conflict
prevents some workers from attending live.
Informal conference meetings allows team members to collaborate with one another as needed. Impromptu calls between
key members can serve as a viable substitute for impromptu gatherings in the hallway.
However, you'll need to let your virtual team members know that this is encouraged and give them the means to launch
conference calls as needed.
Toll Free Conference Calling
If you have virtual team members located in geographically diverse locations,
consider choosing a toll free conference plan. Like a traditional toll free number, toll free conference calls
are billed to the account holder rather than individual callers.
This eliminates the need for remote workers to submit expense reports for reimbursement. Various plans are available
including pay-as-you-go and unlimited plans with no long term contracts.
Remote virtual office conferencing is a convenient, affordable, and effective way to facilitate collaboration amongst
your entire team.
Whether you have a single remote worker or dozens located around the world, remote virtual office collaboration
via conference call keeps everyone informed and on the same page.
Virtual
office collaboration can overcome the challenges of a remote workforce.
Use conference calls to hold meetings, collaborate, brainstorm ideas, and build team spirit.
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